Featured Game: Diamant
What could go wrong when delving into a mysterious dungeon filled with sparkly gems and treasures? Well, so long as you don’t get bitten by a poisonous snake or crushed by a rolling boulder, you might live long enough to see one of your fellow explorers run off and scoop up all the gems you had to leave behind.
In Diamant, the push-your-luck style party game for 4-8 players, you’ll learn the true meaning of greed. Maybe you’ll be at the front of the party pushing to explore just one more room, or maybe you’ll be sitting back with a smug smile on your face as you watch every other explorer in your party be overwhelmed by giant spiders.
Why we love it
Eagle-eyed visitors to the café may have noticed that we each have a game on our name badges, which we think is even more awesome than the others. You may have even noticed that today’s game, Diamant, is on Kris’ name badge, so when I say we love it, I really mean it.
Diamant is special in that it can be played by almost anyone. The rules are so simple you can pick it up and start playing straight away. Throughout the game you’ll only
be making one choice: that of running back to camp or progressing deeper into the cave. But that’s a choice you’ll make over and over again. As you collect more and more gems, tensions around the table are progressively growing. Two matching traps in the dungeon will kill you and make you lose everything you’ve collected that round, but likewise if you run away by yourself you grab any loot that couldn’t be split by the party. However, since you’re all simultaneously secretly deciding if you should stay or if you should go, you’ll be carefully watching your fellow players hoping to work out their plans just from their expressions.
Ultimately, Diamant is the purest example of why I love board games. It brings people together, creates fun and tense group dynamics, and manages to have moments of disbelief and humour all in one game.
Who’s it best for
Best with 4-8 players so you’ll want a reasonably sized group for this one, ideal for families or as lockdown begins to ease it’s perfect for a small group meeting in the park.
We’ve seen everyone from groups of children to families to adults looking for a first game to play on a night out or a last game of the evening after handling a much longer strategy game.
Loved it? Now try…
Can’t Stop - Another push-your-luck style game of dice rolling and being greedy.
Skull - One for groups who enjoy the light bluffing side of Diamant.
Cheeky Monkey - A fantastic push-your-luck style game, perfect for families.